This was my first Punch cigar, and it really was quite good – especially given the price! Traditional maduro flavors paired with an unexpected plot twist really gave way to an exceptional experience. I hadn’t planned on doing a full review, but I figured I’d go ahead and write my notes down because I was really surprised. Light-up – At first light I was expecting to get punched by the brass knuckles on the band – I mean, it is a Punch Maduro after all. I was met with bold flavors but packaged in a medium body. The flavors jumped out and there was no missing them, but it wasn’t overwhelming on the palate at all. First light flavors were a little grass and hay (which quickly went away) followed by a rich chocolate note and some mild pepper spice. I was surprised to find out this was a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, seeing as it is much thinner than most. Nevertheless, I love broadleaf because of the sweetness it can add to a blend and that was the focal point at first light – rich, sweet, chocolate. First Third – the flavor profile was very similar to light up with rich chocolate, light pepper (pepper only on the retro now), and a peanut flavor. There as also a weird taste coming through on the finish that was indistinguishable at first but almost tasted like a caramel that was more toward an acrid flavor – like it had been scorched. Second Third – The body can now be easily classified as a chocolatey coffee with the coffee note finally coming on board. It wasn’t a full on espresso, more like a medium roast blend. That’s what the dirty, acrid taste developed into – perhaps I was just smoking a bit too fast. At this point, you couldn’t have asked for a more perfect smoke output and the burn was nothing to complain about either – I guess because the wrapper isn’t as thick as most broadleafs. The ash holds for about 1/2″ at a time. There was a slight strength kick about halfway into the cigar which is something to keep an eye on – I’m not a big nicotine guy. The flavors began darkening toward the back half of the 2/3. Final third – The band was super easy to remove; interestingly, I noticed that the design was rubbing off the band. I guess this is the area where they skimped so that they could hit a certain price point. I didn’t mind because looks can only take you so far. The flavors darkened and the chocolate became more of a cocoa and lost that nice sweetness. The coffee began to darken as well. The strength started kicking in pretty strong, up to a medium and that’s where I laid it down with about an inch left. Total smoking time was 48 minutes and, like I said I wasn’t planning on running it through a full review, but it his an 8.5/10 or 85/100 which put it just below the threshold for a 5-star review mark. I guess my only real complaint would be the slightly weird transition taste – but flavor counts significantly so that lost it some points – and then the strength lost some as well. If you don’t mind the nicotine then you’ll probably rate this one higher! Great cigar worth every penny at this price.
